


Year of the Wolf.

by WeCouldBeCircumbinary



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, F/M, Red Romance, Shape-shifter, Twist on Red Riding Hood
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-11-29
Updated: 2013-01-28
Packaged: 2017-11-19 21:02:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/577620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WeCouldBeCircumbinary/pseuds/WeCouldBeCircumbinary
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>His name was Karkat Vantas, and he didn't believe in fairy tales or beast-infested girls.</p><p>Boy, was he wrong.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Once Upon A Time...

_Spoken by the days of yore,  
_ _A girl whom danger yearns for;_

 _She sings with all the cherub's grace,_  
 _Eyes shimmering like spring's oaken leaf  
_ _And hair of raven, crow, and sparrow._

 _Bearing pure white pinafore_  
 _And skin of tree's bark,_  
 _Speckles 'pon her cheek,  
_ _She transforms into beast._

 _Not unto whim, no_  
 _The beast inside her is_  
 _A whole 'nother being  
_ _That controls her like a God does his fruit._

 _'Fore she speaks to none and is born again_  
 _Each year of the Wolfe_  
 _Every hundred years she comes again,  
_ _After aging as the normal man,_

 _Though she has lived for thousands and  
_ _Thousands of years in our forest._

 _She is borne of_  
 _The trees and their spirits._  
 _She is the spirit of  
_ _The forest itself._  

_Both good and evil  
_ _Encompass her._

 _Beauty is she,_  
 _But beauty is fatal,_  
 _When named both,  
_ _Jadien and Becquerel._ 　

　

　

Bullshit. That's exactly what he though of the legend.

He didn't even begin to believe that kind of egregious and puerile lunacy. No, no, he was the kind of guy who totally tore it all to hell. Screw the elders - they just wanted to scare kids like him. And the thought stuck with him.

Five years old, when he was first told the story so he never wandered into the forest, or even out at night;

Eleven years old, when he was first told that he was born in the year of the Wolf and became just a tad bit curious, even if he "didn't believe an ounce of that little kid crap";

Seventeen years old, when he knew he didn't believe it, but christ, this whole thing was really just too interesting for him to pass up.

All of the sudden, he was asking around town, finding out everything he could about the legend and the beastly girl - Jadien and her inner monster, Becquerel. Sadly, few wanted to even begin to elaborate about the old myth, most in the twon being very strong believers of the legend.

Bullshit. He reminded himself that's what it was frequently ( not because maybe he was starting to believe it, though ).

The notebook he kept in his hands was cloth-bound and worn with age, its pages filled with notes about her - Jadien. The forest guardian, the town's blessing and curse, its protector and bane. Sketches, stories, bullets of information, or what little he got out of the villages.

Stupid, superstitious idiots. It was just some silly girl in a dress. It wasn't like she was real or anything.

Right?

Right.

His name was Karkat Vantas, and he didn't believe in fairy tales or beast-infested girls.

Boy, was he wrong.

 


	2. The Boy Who Cried Wolf

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry, guys. I don't even have an excuse, honestly. Anyways I have like three chapters written that I'm just making sure are good, fixing typos, etc; those will be up within the next few days. So here's one to hold you over.
> 
> Also I'm really sorry wow please feel free to yell at me.

Karkat was a pale boy - not of his own devices, no, he was a hard worker and helped out with odd jobs around town, even if it was "a waste of his fucking time, hanging around all these credulous assholes". He had thick, unruly brown hair and similarly tinted brown irises, flecked with greens and grays to level him up from brown and brown to brown and hazel. Yippee. His height leveled out to just under six feet and his body was lanky, barely passing for the term of having 'filled-out'. 

Verbose insults and vulgarity were a specialty of his, as well as angry glares towards everyone and everything, and he was a vociferated young man. 

Despite his bite, though, he truly was a hard worker, a loyal friend, who really did care a lot about those he interacted with. He just had reasons to protect himself, like anyone does, and did it in a manner quite unconventional.

So maybe, yes, it was no surprise that few wanted to open the door and let him in, talk to him like the friend he really wasn't, but that didn't stop him from trying. And, when he ran out of options, he tugged that stupid red cloak over him ( pariah, it screamed - he'd stopped caring ages ago ) and pulled the hood over his head, grabbed a basket with food for the trip, pushed past his brother and tromped off, explaining, "I'm heading into town - don't fucking stop me this time!"

And, surprisingly, no one did.

"Hey, Vantas, wait up!"

And, unsurprisingly, he did. 

"Hey, Megido. The fuck do you want?"

"To come with you!"

A dark brow quirked and Karkat just stared at the bubbly girl incredulously for a moment.

They'd ended up becoming decent friends, if not nearing the best friend quota now - she was Sollux's almost-girlfriend-but-not-really ( only because she wanted him to build up the nerve to admit he liked her before anyone made any moves ) and because of that, they spent a whole lot of time together, as a trio. 

She was a beautiful girl, dark-skinned both naturally and from outdoor work, with a massive head of russet curls to her waist, always wearing her red or brown skirts and white blouses - he could see why Sollux was such a fucking idiot around her, oblivious to everything but Aradia. Karkat would be too, if it weren't so strongly platonic between them.

Despite her severely morbid interests and her acquiescence with death, she was pleasant company, so Karkat shouldn’t have been surprised that the girl had no qualms with traveling such a path. And he knew that she was aware that he wasn't really going into town – at least, not primarily. 

So, he nodded, held out an arm for her which Aradia happily locked her own with, and off they went. 

“Fine. You sure as hell better not slow me down, though.”

“I won’t! C’mon!”

\--

The woods were beautiful, honestly, sunlight filtering down through the foliage and the breeze light, rattling and rustling the canopy gently above them. It smelled sweet of sap and leaves, pollen, spring and growth. How anyone was intimidated by it was lost on both of them as they walked and chatted absently.

“How’s Sollux been? That asshole’s been so caught up in his work, he hasn't been talking to me.”

Aradia laughed softly, the hand on his arm giving it a light squeeze. “Don’t worry, Karkat – he asks about you a lot! He’s just been really busy as of late, especially with him nearing eighteen, his dad has been cracking down on him learning to repair and sail ships. It’s the Captor trade and all, and with him almost an adult, he needs to learn, I suppose! Makes sense, though, especially since Mituna can’t.”

With a nod, Karkat let out a grunt in agreement – Mituna had fallen from the lookout of a ship they’d been sailing while trying to warn everybody of a stone crop they were nearing, and had never been right in the head since.

“What about you ‘n him, though? Dipshit make a move yet?”

“Not yet,” she sighed, though a soft laugh did escape those lips. “He almost kissed me, last night, it was obvious, but didn't. He’s being quite stubborn! Don’t know, I’ve got a fair amount of suitors, might have to give up on him soon. There’s always that blacksmith from the Zahhak family…”

“You wouldn't.”

“Of course, I wouldn't! I’m just teasing. He’ll come around, I know he will.”

Karkat eyed her curiously, cocking his head a bit. “Why the hell don’t you just, I don’t know, tell him first?”

“You know him, Kar,” Aradia returned the look, her own brow quirked and lips curling upwards. “It’d injure his pride! He’d be awkward in the relationship, tense. I think he’s still quite conflicted about feeling for his best friend. I just don’t want to push him! He needs his time.”

“ You've got a hell of a lot more patience with that prick than I do, Aradia.”

She giggled. “I know.”

“So, what about you?”

“Me what?”

“Any girl caught your eye yet? You know, that hunter’s daughter – Nepeta, I think? – has really got her eye on you. She’s pretty, and really sweet!”

He made a face – and also obsessive, and a little creepy, if nice enough. “Yeah, yeah, not really. She is pretty, she’s nice, I guess. Just – no.”

She let out an exasperated sigh, quite obviously making much more dramatic than need be, just to tease him. “You’re a lost cause, Karkat, honestly!”

He chuckled, just shaking his head, not even bothering to grace her with a response. For a while longer, they walked on, until the woods thinned out a bit, just enough to actually move through them effectively, especially with Aradia’s skirt. “You ready to get off this stupid fuckin’ path?”

Grinning, the girl nodded, tugging him along. “Absolutely!”


End file.
